Week 1 picks include Falcons-Chiefs, Packers-49ers, Broncos-Steelers

New England Patriots (0-0) at Tennessee Titans (0-0)The Pats worked out tight end Kellen Winslow the other day, and signed tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, and placed tight end Visanthe Shiancoe on the injured-reserve-but-we-can-pull-him-back-late-in-the-season list. Before the game, Bill Belichick plans to host the Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Tennessee Tech and Carson Newman tight ends at a high school in Nashville for workouts. And, I am reporting exclusively, he will pull tight end Frank Wycheck out of the Titans' radio booth before the game and sign him to a three-hour contract. The Patriots like tight ends, don't you know.

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1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Indianapolis Colts (0-0) at Chicago Bears (0-0)This is the first of about six or eight losses by the Colts this year when, at the end of the game, you'll say, "My gosh, how did Andrew Luck make that one so close?" Easy: He's really good.

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1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Philadelphia Eagles (0-0) at Cleveland Browns (0-0)It's not hopeless for the Brownies, but if they lose Joe Haden to a four-game suspension, it just might be. Most important thing for the Eagles this week: Keeping Mike Vick upright. The Ravens, Giants and Steelers are on the docket in three of the next four weeks.

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16

1 p.m. ET (FOX)

St. Louis Rams (0-0) at Detroit Lions (0-0)Welcome to the NFL, Janoris Jenkins. Just to let you know: You won't face an arm like Matthew Stafford's every week. And you won't find a jump-baller like Calvin Johnson either. Whether Cortland Finnegan is on Johnson much of the day -- which I expect -- Jenkins didn't see a whole lot of players like him at North Alabama. Or Florida, for that matter. But the real issue here is, how can I pick the Rams to score 27 points? Simple reason: The Lions' secondary, which is already a bad one, didn't have its best player, safety Louis Delmas, or its best corner, Chris Houston, working in practice on Thursday due to injury. Will they play in this game? Probably not. Even if they do, they're not going to be near full strength. This should be a day for the Rams offense to build some confidence.

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27

1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Miami Dolphins (0-0) at Houston Texans (0-0)Of the 16 games on opening weekend, there's one I can't imagine the underdog winning. This one.

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9

1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Atlanta Falcons (0-0) at Kansas City Chiefs (0-0)Game of the Weekend, in terms of explosive plays and great end-to-end action. Tamba Hali picked a bad week to be suspended (the ace Chief pass rusher is gone for one game for violating the league's substance-abuse policy), because this will be the coming-out party for the deep-throwing Atlanta offense. Watch for offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, in his maiden voyage aboard the Ryan Express, to challenge the Chiefs deep four or five times, minimum.

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26

1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-0) at Minnesota Vikings (0-0)In The Questionable Quarterback Bowl, Blaine Gabbert gets outdueled by Christian Ponder. The key: Adrian Peterson's 16 carries, for 97 yards and a touchdown. Good return to action for Peterson, back in the groove eight months after knee reconstruction. Pretty good story.

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1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Buffalo Bills (0-0) at New York Jets (0-0)Here come Mario Williams and Mark Anderson to torment Mark Sanchez, and Sanchez has to be wondering what horrible thing he did in some past life to be undergoing the kind of competitive torture that'll confront him late in this game. "TEE-Bow, TEE-Bow!" The chants will rain down on him if he's down big in the fourth quarter of this one, and Sanchez will be rooting for 15 road games by the time he walks off the field.

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1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Washington Redskins (0-0) at New Orleans Saints (0-0)A nice debut for Robert Griffin III. But not nice enough. Congrats, Aaron Kromer: You are now in Pro-Football-Reference.com and the Pro Football Encyclopedia, coaches section, for perfection. With this victory, interim or otherwise, you're 1-0, 1.000, lifetime.

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4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)

Seattle Seahawks (0-0) at Arizona Cardinals (0-0)Russell Wilson's debut will happen in the desert, and though the defense he'll face won't be the vanilla stuff he's mostly seen in a shiny preseason, I think the Victory Tour begins here. How frustrating would this result be for the Cardinals, who have looked everywhere and spent big money to try to find a long-term quarterback -- and here comes the 75th pick in the draft, less than five months removed from draft day, to show the Cardinals how to pick a quarterback.

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4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)

San Francisco 49ers (0-0) at Green Bay Packers (0-0)What a game. FOX has to be thrilled this didn't get plucked for prime time. So many subplots, so little time. Randy Moss returning to Lambeau as a factor for a team that'll challenge the Packers for NFC supremacy. The Pack trying to erase bitter memories of another January loss to the Giants. The Niners knowing they came within a couple of botched punt returns of the Super Bowl, back to show last year was no fluke. Aaron Rodgers-Alex Smith; the 2005 draft decision revisited. It's all here at Lambeau.

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4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)

Carolina Panthers (0-0) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0)The Bucs could be the surprise team of 2012 -- if Josh Freeman plays in 2012 the way Cam Newton played in 2011. He's capable of being the throwing man Newton was, if not the running one, but I'm going to have to see it first to believe it. I say Newton kicks off this season the way he did last year - with a powerful passing game against a re-tooling Tampa Bay defense.

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8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)

Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0) at Denver Broncos (0-0)Peyton Manning needs one touchdown for 400 for his career, and 22 to surpass Dan Marino for second on the all-time list. I like his chances. Well, maybe not 22 on Sunday night. Loved the note on NBC Wednesday night from Tony Dungy about waiting 25 minutes to interview Manning Monday in Denver -- because he was in a meeting with his skill players going over the signals for the game.

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Monday, Sept. 10

7:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Cincinnati Bengals (0-0) at Baltimore Ravens (0-0)Black crepe paper over the stadium in Baltimore Monday evening. The man who brought the Ravens to Baltimore, Art Modell, who died Thursday morning, gave that community a team for generations to treasure.

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10:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)

San Diego Chargers (0-0) at Oakland Raiders (0-0)Two teams that could be anywhere between 6-10 and 11-5 in the AFC West -- but if either is at the upper end, it's going to take a great (not good) season by the quarterback. And in game one, Carson Palmer edges Philip Rivers on the strength of receivers he's throwing to.